White, Charles (1728-1813)

Letter from Charles White to Mrs Mary Boardman of Liverpool, concerning the rednap on her little girl's ear and its treatment.

28/10/1780

1 letter

Purchased from Stevens, London, March 1931.

Charles White was born in Manchester, the son of a physician, and studied medicine at London and Edinburgh. After graduating he took a partnership in his father's practice. In collaboration with the merchant Joseph Bancroft, he founded the Manchester Royal Infirmary in 1752 and worked as a surgeon there for 28 years. In 1790 he helped set up the first "lying-in" hospital in Manchester, near the Old Bailey Prison in Salford (now St Mary's Hospital). His main specialism was in obstetrics, where his modern practices earned him an international reputation. His work resulted in a massive drop in the rate of infant mortality. He published his findings in a book, The Management of Pregnant and Lying-in Women in 1773. The book became an international best-seller and the standard medical reference work on pregnancy and childbirth.